Electrodeposition of alloys.



- SHERARD OSBORN OOWPER-COLES, OF LONDON, ENGLAND.

ELEGTRODEPOSITION OF ALLOYS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Sept. 8, 1908.

Application filed August 2, 1907. Serial No. 386,838.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, SHERARD OSBORN OowPER-OoLEs, a subject of the King of Great Britain, residing at Grosvenor Mansions, 82 Victoria street, Westminster, London, England, have invented new and useful Improvements in the Electrode osition of Alloys; and I do hereby declare t at the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, which will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention relates to an improved process for the electrodeposition of brass and like alloys.

In the electrodeposition of brass and similar alloys the chief difficulty which has heretofore been experienced in practice is to obtain for any length of time an alloy of the desired composition. The composition of the alloy can be regulated within certain limits.

by varying the relative percentages of the metals in solution through the adjustment of the temperature of the electrolyte and the current density with the corresponding increase or decrease in voltage and moving the cathode but this regulation is not sufficient in cases where it is desired to deposit an alloy of any thickness, for instance, toproduce brass sheets or tubes.

Now, my invention has for its object to obviate this defect, that is to say, to provide means whereby the composition of the alloy deposited can be more efiectually controlled and to this end it consists in employing, in addition to an anode of the alloyto be deposited, say brass, anodes of copper and zinc which can be connected to the circuit which supplies the electric current passed through the brass anode. are inserted in the conductors which convey I the electric current to the zinc and 00 per anodes, whereby the amount of current owing through these anodes, and as a conseuence, the amount of metal that goes into t 1e solution, can be regulated. I have found that good results canbe obtained in practice with such an arrangement of anodes by employlng an electrolyte composed of double cyanids of copper and zinc and potassium,

Furthermore, resistances but it will be understood that I do not wish to confine myself to the employment of an electrolyte of this composition. I have obtamed-excellent results with an electrolyte repared as follows, that is to say, a 10 70 solhtion of cyanid of potassium is brou ht to the point of saturation by passing an e ectric current through a brass anode the cathode being protected by a porous pot, and the electrolyte being then worked under the condition already mentioned, small quantities of cyanid of potassium being added from time to time as found necessary.

I am aware that it has been proposed in the electrode osition of alloys to employ separate anodes o the metals to be deposited, each of which is arranged in conjunction with a resistance so that the amount of current flowing through the said anodes can be controlled to regulate the relative amounts of the metals deposited; also that it has been proposed to employ double cyanidsof copper, zinc and potassium in the composition of electrolytlc aths.

-I claim method of depositin alloys w ich consists in employing an ano e of the alloy to be deposited and' an anode of each of the metals composing the alloy, substantially as described.

2. In the art of electrode osition, the method of depositin alloys w ich consists in employing an ano e of the alloy to be deposited and an anode of each of the metals composing the alloy, andindependently varying the current assin anodes of the metals 0 the a loy as esired, substantially as described.

3. In the art of electrodeposition, the method of depositing brass, which consists in employing an anode of brass together with an anode of zinc and an anode of copper and varying the current passing through the anodes. of zinc and copper as desired, substantially as described.

SHERARI) OSBORN COWPER-GOLES.

;Witnesses:. p

C. G. REDFERN, A. ALBUTT.-

, 1. In the art of electrode osition, the

throu h the 

